Small Towns

I used to live in a small town.  Main Street was maybe 0.2 miles long.  If you didn't know everybody's name, you certainly knew everybody by sight.  People waved to other people as they walked or drove by.  When you passed a car going the opposite direction, the drivers would lift their index finger at each other in greeting.  The town claimed a population of about 700.

I know small town.

Where I live now is not a small town.  People who have lived here a long time remember when it was a small town, and they still think of it that way.  But I rarely see a familiar face when I walk.  People tend to look down as they pass you on the street and seem honestly surprised when you say, "Hi."  The only finger that ever gets raised isn't the index finger, and most certainly isn't friendly.  The population is around 35,000 -- that's 50 times larger than my previous town.

This is not a small town.

However, there are some things that make me smile, and some things where that small town feel shows up.  The county library is having a fundraiser this coming Friday at a local restaurant, with 100 percent of the proceeds being donated to the library.  The advertisement reads:

Throughout the day, a variety of musicians will perform for folks enjoying organic food, pizza, hot dogs and refreshing drinks in the parking lot next to the Tall Building downtown.

Yep -- come have some fun by the Tall Building.

Sometimes the small town still comes through.